Wheel construction



Nov. 27, 1951 M. D. WALKLET WHEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 25, 1947 l N VE N TO R. Mme/5P a WAL/fLET ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 27, 1 951 2,576,260 WHEEL ooNs'rRUc'rIoN Mercer ljwalklet, Akron Olii'o, assignor' to The Hamlin Metal Products company,ohm,

Ohio

Application October: 25, 1941, Serial No. 782,103

The present invention relates to new and improved construction forrubber tired metal or disk wheels which are p'rir'riarily intended foruse on childrens toys, wagons, or the'l'ike. In the wheels for thispurpose a solid rubber tire is usually cemented in a depressed channelformed on the periphery of a disk. wheel. This type of wheel has certaindisadvantages whichit is the purpose of the present invention toovercome. One objection to the old type wheel is'the expense,- due tothe fact that, a full round-rubber tire is employed, and a secondobjectionis the fact: that in service the rubber tire frequently becomesdetached from its seat on the wheel.

with the construction shown and described herein the cost of the wheelsubstantially reducedbecause the wheel emplo s less rubber Withoutimpairing the: cushioning effect of the tire. While the saving in rubberin a single wheel may be small, the production of these items is Veryheavy and as the vehicles or toys are usually sold at relatively closemargins, the improved wheel creates a substantial saving in productionand assembly. The tire is permanently anchored on the wheel and cannotbe removed without destroying the tire.

While the invention is intended primarily for use on childrens toys,wagons, or other vehicles, the construction may also be adapted forindustrial uses.

In the drawings and description the best known and preferred form of theinvention is shown, but

this does not mean that adherence to the details is necessary to arealization of the objects and advantages as modifications andvariations may be adopted without departing from the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wheel made in accordance with theteachings of the invention. Fig. 2 is a section in the line 22 of Fig.1.

The wheel body is comprised of two reversely positioned metal disks land 2. Each disk is formed with a central opening 5 at which point themetal of the disk is pressed inwardly so that the two flanges 3constitute the hub of the wheel. The disks are preferably made bystamping and may have ornamental ridges such as 4 pressed 2' wardiybulged afcuate portion a wines in the preferred form ofthe inventionextends for asprbxi'matew 9'0". Ffoifi' me outer edge (if the channel,the metal of each disk is formed inwardly bent portion tdfo'rm ashouldef It) and outwardly from this shoulder the disk is formed withinwardly extending curved flanges f2 wiil lrcbnstitute the outer" priphery-of the wheel body and provide a seat for the" tire.

v It willbe noted that the names I2 do nit meet but are spaced apart toforiii' a peripheral slot" f 4 to receive the anchoring portion of thetir H The tire, which is a vulcaniied rubber bandg 's indicated asawholeby the-numeral I5. The'tif is prereratiy formed by extruding rubber tothe desired cross section in indtr' "ate. lengths which are vulcanizedand then out into strips of the proper-length to surround a wheel; Therut"- ber strip is of are shape in; cross sectionwith two 6 which areshaped so asto fit the stages [2 and of siiffici'efit width" so that thee ges of the strip fit against the shoulders [0. To cause the wings togrip the curvature of the flanges l2, the strips of rubber may be madein a curvature of a somewhat less radius than the flanges although thisrefinement is not essential. If desired, the surfaces of the flanges I2and the inner surfaces of the wings It may be cemented with any of thewell-known rubber cements before the wheel is assembled although this isnot necessary as the curvature of the tire may ordinarily be relied uponto prevent the wings I6 from flaring outwardly.

The rubber strip is formed with an internal rib or lobe l8 joined to thetread portion of the strip by a narrow neck which fits within the slotM.

The wheel is assembled by laying two of the disks together with a stripof the rubber between the flanges i2 and then the disks are securedtogether by riveting or spot welding at the points 1. The constructionis inexpensive to manufacture and the tire is firmly held. It is notnecessary to join the ends of the rubber strip where they meet at 20.The tread portion of the strip provides for ample resilience for thepurposes for which wheels of this type are intended and with much lessrubber than is employed in other types of wheels of this character. Thewheel has an attractive appearance and gives the impression of having aheavy rubber tire. It is preferred to form the shoulders IU of the samedepth as the tread portion of the tire so as to provide a smooth contouron the exterior of the wheel, but this is a refinement of the inventiononly. It is also preferred to form the lobe I8 as a continuous rib aboutthe inside of the tire, but this lobe may be discontinuous to anydesirable extent provided suflicient anchorage is afforded for the tire.It is preferred to form the body of the wheel of metal stampings butother, material may be substituted if desired. The tire may bevulcanized as a circular body, thus avoiding the scam in joint 20.

What is claimed is:

1. A wheel construction comprising two opposed disks of similar contour,with flared portions defining a radially-outwardly, concave rim,inwardly extending shoulders at the outer edges, of the said flaredportions, inwardly directed. arc-shaped flanges beyond the shoulders,the edges of said flanges being spaced apart 'when the disks areassembled to provide a peripheral slot, a rubber tire about the wheelcomprising a tread portionfltting over the flanges and an inwardlyextending neck lying within the said slot and an enlarged lobeinteriorly of the flanges, and spaced from the interior walls of saidflared portions, and means to secure the disks together with the lobe ofthe tire held within the flanges.

2. A wheel construction comprising a wheel body formed of two opposeddisks, with flared portions defining a radially-outwardly, concave rim,said disks being provided with shoulders at their outer peripheries ofthe said flared portions, and interiorly directed depressed flangesextending from the shoulders to the edges of the disks, said flangesbeing spaced apart to provide a narrow peripheral slot and a rubber tirehaving wings fitting over the flanges, with the edges of the Wingsagainst the shoulders, and an integral enlarged formation on theinterior of the tire, said formation having a neck lying in the saidslot and an enlarged lobe which bears against the inner surface of theflanges to lock the tire on the wheel, but is spaced from the innerwalls of said flared portions, and means to secure the disks together.

3. A wheel construction comprising a wheel body formed of two oppositelypositioned disks, with flared portions defining a radially-outwardly,concave rim, said disks being formed with inwardly directed shouldersnear the outer peripheries of said flared portions, interiorly directedcurved flanges extending from the shoulders to the edges of the disks,said flanges being spaced apart to provide a narrow peripheral slotabout the exterior of the wheel body and a rubber tirehaving curvedwings fltting against the exterior of said flanges and an internal ribin the tire connected thereto by a relatively narrow neck which lies inthe said slot, said rib bearing against the inner surfaces of theflanges to lock the tire on the wheel, but spaced from the inner wallsof said flaredportions, and means to secure the disks together.

MERCER D. WALKLET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1 Date Re. 17,461 Shoemaker Oct. 15,1929 541,396 Sulley et a1 June 18, 1895 954,048 Price Apr. 5, 19101,057,398 Allison Apr. 1, 1913 1,595,182 Fravel Aug. 10, 1926 2,271,432Hull et al Jan. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,341Great Britain of 1896 419,679 France Nov. 2, 1910 799,461 France Apr. 4,1936

